The Role of the Registered Staff Nurse: A Comparative Study: Associate Degree Nurse Educators and Nurse Administrators from Medicare Certified Nursing Homes

This comparative descriptive study investigated how nurse administrators in Medicare certified nursing homes compared with master\u27s prepared nurse educators in public and private National League for Nursing accredited associate degree programs in the state of South Dakota in their description of the role of the registered staff nurse. Chi square analysis was used to investigate the differences in demographics, values, perceptions of the importance of nursing duties, and role function ranking. Represented in the sample were 78% of master\u27s prepared nurse educators and 62% of nurse administrators in the population. Nurse educators and nurse administrators did not differ greatly in their perceptions of the importance of role function. However, nurse educators placed greater value on utilizing research (p = .011),delegating (p = .051)and acting as a role model (p = .007)than did nurse administrators. Nurse educators were older (p = .05) and had more experience in nursing (p = .031). Seventy-one per cent of nurse administrators and 85% of the registered nurses they employed held less than a baccalaureate degree in nursing. Associate degree registered staff nurses were the most frequently (67%) employed registered nurse in 42% of the Medicare certified nursing homes in South Dakota. Further, all nurse educators and 2% of nurse administrators held master\u27s degrees